Teens Are Converging on Fort Lauderdale, and It’s Not Even Spring Break!

Posted on April 24th, 2006 in Press Releases by AiDallas

Teens from all accross the U.S. and Canada are heading to Fort Lauderdale, but it’s not for Spring Break fun. Twenty high school seniors with goals and dreams of being culinary professionals are preparing to out-dice, out-slice and out-chiffonade the competition to win the sixth annual Best Teen Chef scholarship competition.

Michael Hammond, from Red Oak, Texas and senior at Red Oak High School will be in Fort Lauderdale to represent The Art Institute of Dallas.

At stake is a full scholarship worth $35,000 to study culinary arts at The Art Institutes. This year’s Best Teen Chef event will be held on Saturday, April 29th at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. In all, more than $200,000 in scholarships will be awarded.

Best Teen Chef competitors will participate in two heats held throughout the day, beginning at 8:00 AM and concluding at 1:30 PM. Scores will be tallied and winners will be announced by 3:30 PM.

This year’s menu, inspired by reginoal Florida cuisine, features a colorful and tasty Gulf Shirmp Martini with Floribbean Slaw, Tomato Salad with Avocado and Sherry-Chili Vinaigrette, and “Creative” style Sauteed Fillet of Fresh Fish. The last dish allows students to make creative use of various ingredients.

Culinary Director Chef Larry Matson at The Art Institute of Dallas explains that he is continually impressed with the level of skills he has seen among the competitors. “These young students have the unique opportunit to compete against others from all over the U.S. and Canada who are just as passionate about cooking as they are,” he says.

Chefs judging the event include Master Chef Friedenreich, Master Chef Raimund Hofmeister, Master Chef Walter Leible and Chef Walter Scheib, former White House Executive Chef from 1994 to 2005.

For the first time in the history of the competition, cameras will be allowed in the kitchens to cover the event as it happens.

Schools represented at this year’s Best Teen Chef event include The Art Institute of Atlanata, The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles, The Art Institute of Califronia - Orange County, The Art Institute of California - San Diego, The Art Institute of Charlotte, The Art Institute of Colorado, The Art Institute of Dallas, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, The Art Institute of Houston, The Art Institute of Las Vegas, The Art Institutes International Minnesota, The Art Institute of New York City, The Art Institute of Philadelphis, The Art Institute of Phoeniz, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, The Art Institute of Seattle, The Art Institute of Tampa, The Art Institute of Vancouver, The Art Institute of Washington and The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago.

For more ifnormation about The Best Teen Chef competition, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/btc.

The Art Institute of Dallas is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with 32 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an improtant source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

Legoland® California Chooses Three Model Builder Search Finalists From Dallas

Posted on April 10th, 2006 in Press Releases by AiDallas

DALLAS, TX (April 10, 2006) – Three finalists were chosen today at The Art Institute of Dallas in the nationwide search for the next LEGOLAND® California Model Builder. Jason Janik from Dallas, TX, Jason Poland from Houston, TX, and Clay Hervey from, Mesquite, TX have advanced to the final build-off at the San Diego theme park May 23, 2006. They are vying for only one open position on the LEGOLAND Model Builder team. The next stop on the seven-city tour is Chicago on May 2.

Applicants were given a bucket to fill with 10-pounds of assorted LEGO® play materials of their choice and had just one hour to create a pirate-themed model in honor of the Park’s newest attraction, Pirate Shores, opening this summer. Janik, Poland and Hervey were chosen based on their ability to design and create lifelike models in 3-D using only standard LEGO elements. The current team of Model Builders at LEGOLAND California design, build and maintain the more than 15,000 LEGO models that make LEGOLAND California a one-of-a-kind vacation destination.

There are a mere 20 Model Builders at all four LEGOLAND Parks. Five of them work at LEGOLAND California. Coming from various backgrounds and skills, they all have two things in common: They use every ounce of creativity in their daily work and they’re passionate about it.

To see the winning models, pre-register for the Chicago competition and get tips and tricks from current Model Builders at LEGOLAND California, log onto www.LEGOLANDModelBuilder.com.

LEGOLAND® California is a 128-acre interactive theme park dedicated to families with children between the ages of two and 12. Just like with LEGO® play materials, kids are the ones who create the action at the Park. They drive, pedal, squirt, climb, jump, stomp, slide, steer, pull, click, push, gallop, laugh, build and program their way through more than 50 rides, shows and attractions. There are three other LEGOLAND Parks in the world – LEGOLAND Billund in Denmark, LEGOLAND Windsor outside of London and LEGOLAND Deutschland near Günzburg, Germany. The LEGOLAND theme parks are a part of Merlin Entertainments Group. For the most current information, log on to www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO.

The Art Institutes system of 32 education institutions located throughout North America, provides an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals

AiDallas Students To Take Over The Big Screen at Upcoming Film Festival

Posted on April 4th, 2006 in Press Releases by AiDallas

Many work a lifetime and still don’t get to see the results on the big screen. But for some talented students from The Art Institute of Dallas, the wait is over!

It is with great pleasure and excitement that The Art Institute of Dallas announces its first-ever film festival, AiCenes.

The general public are invited to attend the screenings on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 at 6p.m. at the Studio Movie Grill in Addison, Texas located at 5405 Belt Line Road (Dallas, Texas 75248). The screenings are FREE to the public but expect to pay a nominal fee for any dinner orders or beverages.

AMS Production Group, Oxygen Sound, and Alamo Studios will serve as platinum sponsors for the inaugural event. Gold sponsors are GLA & Associates, Digitize Media, PictureWorld Films, and Dave Elias.

Open to all current students at The Art Institute of Dallas, AiCenes offers students the opportunity to showcase their filmmaking abilities to the public. Each film submitted that meets the required guidelines (visit www.aicenes.com) will be shown on the big screen for the public to see. Teams consist of 1 to 5 members and are required to submit a $10 entry fee upon registration.

Students were asked to register no later than April 14, 2006. The contest began at midnight Monday, April 17 and submissions are due by 5p.m. on Friday, April 21, 2006. The festival will be judged by the following area industry professionals: Joey Curry, Fox Sports Net; Walker Shupp, Red Hot Media; Shirley Thompson, Women in Film; Scott Fields, Telework Pictures; Yolanda Patton, Humphries Marketing; and Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams and include the following:

1st Place: 200 gig external firewire hardrive
2nd Place: Apple shuffle with $25 gift card
3rd Place: $50 gift card to Fry’s Electronics

Legoland® National Search for Model Builder Comes to The Art Institute of Dallas

Posted on April 3rd, 2006 in Press Releases by AiDallas

The Art Institute of Dallas will host the Los Angeles area search for Legoland® California’s hunt for the next member of the theme park’s prestigious Model Builder team. In a seven-city tour spanning the country, LEGOLAND is putting thousands of adults up to the challenge. The Art Institutes, a system of 32 education institutions across North America, will be the official host location in each city.

What:
The search for the dream job of a lifetime is coming to Dallas! The elite LEGOLAND® California Model Builder team is looking for its newest member! In a seven-city tour spanning the country, LEGOLAND is leaving no brick unturned as they search for a new Model Builder for the popular Carlsbad family theme park. The current team of Park Model Builders design, build and maintain the more than 15,000 LEGO models that make LEGOLAND California a one-of-a-kind vacation destination. Candidates applying for this dream job are given a 10-pound bucket full of assorted LEGO play materials and have one hour to create a model on the requested theme. Application available at www.legolandmodelbuilder.com.

Park representatives are searching for the sixth member of the talented group of people who get paid to play! Media is invited to participate in the model-building challenge by attending Model Builder University the hour prior to the competition and have their creations judged by professionals. Park representatives will interview hundreds of candidates, who are encouraged to pre-register on the tour Web site: www.LEGOLANDModelBuilder.com.

When:
Monday, April 10, 2006
Competition runs from 4:00pm - 7:00pm

Where:
The Art Institute of Dallas
8080 Park Lane, Suite 100
Dallas, TX 75231

DETAILS:
Qualified applicants will be judged on an on-the-spot model building competition. Each candidate fills up a 10-pound bin with the LEGO® elements of their choice to create a three-dimensional LEGO model in just one hour. Model Builder hopefuls must exhibit creativity, strategy and calmness under pressure. Past winners will be on hand for interviews. Past winners have appeared on CNN, The Jimmy Kimmel Show, The Today Show, MSNBC and ESPN2. From Dallas, the official LEGOLAND Model Builder Search heads to Chicago on May 2. Finalists from each city will travel to LEGOLAND, May 23, 2006 to compete head to head in the ultimate competition – and the chance for the coveted spot as the sixth LEGOLAND Model Builder.

LEGOLAND CONTACT: LEGOLAND California:
Julie Estrada — (760) 918-5377; julie.estrada@LEGOLAND.com

The Art Institute of Dallas contact:
LaTonyie Jarrett-Taylor — (214) 692-8080 ext. 1249; LLTaylor@aii.edu

LEGOLAND® California is a 128-acre interactive theme park dedicated to families with children between the ages of two and 12. Just like with LEGO® play materials, kids are the ones who create the action at the Park. They drive, pedal, squirt, climb, jump, stomp, slide, steer, pull, click, push, gallop, laugh, build and program their way through more than 50 rides, shows and attractions. There are three other LEGOLAND Parks in the world – LEGOLAND Billund in Denmark, LEGOLAND Windsor outside of London and LEGOLAND Deutschland near Günzburg, Germany. The LEGOLAND theme parks are a part of Merlin Entertainments Group. For the most current information, log on to www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO.

The Art Institutes system of 32 education institutions located throughout North America, provides an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. For more information visit The Art Institutes website at www.artinstitutes.edu/legoland.